14-day route
Route · 14 days · one-wayYacht charter route · Bahamas

Marsh Harbour via Great Guana Cay & Green Turtle Cay.

Two slow weeks from Marsh Harbour looping the Sea of Abaco: Hope Town's lighthouse, Man-O-War boat sheds, Guana Cay beach bars and Green Turtle.

The route

Day-by-day route

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Day 1

Marsh Harbour → Hope Town

An easy first leg south across sheltered water to Hope Town, where a candy-striped lighthouse marks the harbour entrance.

Distance

6 NM

Sailing

~1.2h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

December – April (peak Jan – Mar)

Duration

14 days

Departure

Marsh Harbour

Sailing area

Bahamas

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 14
1
Day 1

Marsh Harbour → Hope Town

Pick up the boat at Marsh Harbour, load the fridge at Maxwell's, and don't rush the paperwork. The sail to Hope Town runs only about six miles across the Sea of Abaco, so there's no reason to leave before mid-morning. Aim to reach the harbour mouth near high water; the entrance carries thin depth and the mooring field sits just inside. There's no anchoring in the harbour itself, only balls, so a slow arrival pays off. Once you're settled, the red-and-white Elbow Reef Lighthouse is a two-minute dinghy ride away. It still burns kerosene and gets hand-wound at night, one of the last of its kind. Climb it before sunset for the long view over Elbow Cay, then find dinner ashore at Captain Jack's on the waterfront.

Things to do

Climb the Elbow Reef kerosene lighthouse

Provision the boat at Maxwell's supermarket

Sunset drinks at Captain Jack's

Wander Hope Town's pastel Loyalist lanes

Mooring tip

Hope Town harbour has no room to anchor, so grab one of the mooring balls (roughly $30 a night) and time your entrance for higher tide, since the mouth shoals. In peak season the field fills by early afternoon, so try to arrive by two.

2
Day 2

Hope Town → Man-O-War Cay

Man-O-War sits just four or five miles up the chain, an hour's gentle sail at most. The cay has built boats since the 1800s, and you can still hear sanders and smell epoxy from the harbour. Walk the single settlement path to Albury's Sail Shop, where the family stitches bags and hats from canvas sailcloth, a trade going back generations. One thing to know before you arrive: this is the only dry island in the Bahamas. No bar sells a drink here, so bring your own from Marsh Harbour or Hope Town if you want sundowners aboard. The harbour is narrow and well protected, good in most wind. Spend the afternoon on the quiet ocean-side beach past the boatyards, then eat aboard and turn in early.

Things to do

Browse Albury's canvas sail shop

Watch the traditional wooden boatbuilding sheds

Swim the quiet ocean-side beach

Visit the small Man-O-War heritage museum

Mooring tip

Man-O-War Marina keeps moorings in both the north and eastern harbours for around $17 to $20 a night, dinghy dock included. You can anchor off Dickie's Cay instead, but the balls are cheap and the harbour is tight, so the moorings usually win.

3
Day 3

Man-O-War Cay → Great Guana Cay

Great Guana is a longer run, roughly eight to ten miles up the sound, still comfortable in the usual easterly. The draw here is the seven-mile stretch of sand on the Atlantic side and two bars that have fed sailors for decades. Nipper's sits high on the dune overlooking the reef, best known for its Sunday pig roast between half-twelve and four. Grabbers is down on Fishers Bay, calmer, better for a swim off the boat and a frozen drink at anchor. If you're here on a Sunday, expect powerboats streaming in from Marsh Harbour. Any other day, the beach is nearly your own. Snorkel the reef straight off the ocean shore when the swell lies down, as the coral runs close in.

Things to do

Sunday pig roast up at Nipper's

Frozen drinks at Grabbers, Fishers Bay

Snorkel the reef off the Atlantic shore

Walk the seven-mile ocean beach

Mooring tip

Pick up a ball in Guana Harbour or anchor in Fishers Bay off Grabbers in two to five metres of sand, which holds well. If a Sunday party is on, get in before noon, because the bay crowds up fast and the good spots go early.

4
Day 4

Great Guana Cay → Green Turtle Cay

This is the one leg that needs planning. The Sea of Abaco runs too shallow past Whale Cay, so you drop out into the Atlantic through Whale Cay Passage and cut back in on the far side. In settled weather it's a half-hour of open water and nothing more. In a north or east swell against the tide, the cut kicks up what locals call a rage, and you simply wait for a better day. Check the forecast the night before and leave early while it's calm. On the north side lies Green Turtle Cay, its settlement of New Plymouth founded by Loyalists in 1786. Tie up in White Sound or Black Sound, both well sheltered, and save the town for tomorrow.

Things to do

Time Whale Cay Passage for calm water

Anchor in sheltered White Sound

Hunt sea glass on Gillam Bay

Sundowner at Green Turtle Club marina

Mooring tip

Only cross the Whale in settled conditions and near slack or a rising tide, since a north swell is the classic maker of rage seas. Once around, White Sound has marina moorings and slips, while Black Sound offers quieter anchoring in soft mud, so set the hook well.

5
Day 5

Green Turtle Cay → Great Guana Cay

Take the morning ashore before you move. New Plymouth is a grid of pastel clapboard houses, Loyalist graves, and a small memorial sculpture garden that repays a slow walk. The stop most crews make is Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar, where the Goombay Smash was invented and the recipe is still kept secret by the family. One won't hurt before you sail. Then it's back out around Whale Cay while the morning stays quiet, retracing yesterday's passage in reverse. Aim to clear the cut before the afternoon breeze fills in. By early afternoon you're back on a mooring at Great Guana, this time knowing exactly where the good snorkelling reef sits. A second night here is no hardship.

Things to do

Goombay Smash at Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar

Walk New Plymouth's Loyalist sculpture garden

Round the Whale before the afternoon breeze

Second swim off Fishers Bay

Mooring tip

Do your Whale crossing in the morning again, as the pattern of calm dawns and building afternoon wind holds most of the season. Back at Guana, the same balls in the harbour or a spot off Grabbers work well for the night.

6
Day 6

Great Guana Cay → Marsh Harbour

Halfway point, and a practical one. Guana back to Marsh Harbour is a straightforward reach of about eight miles, so there's time for a last morning swim before you slip the mooring. Marsh Harbour is the only real town in the Abacos, which makes it the place to restock. Top up at Maxwell's, refill water and fuel, and clear the accumulated bags of ice. If the crew wants a night off the boat's galley, the harbourfront restaurants around the marinas are an easy walk. It's a working stop more than a scenic one, and that's fine. A quiet night at anchor or on a marina slip sets you up to start the loop again fresh in the morning.

Things to do

Restock the galley at Maxwell's supermarket

Refill water, fuel and ice

Dinner ashore on the marina harbourfront

One last swim off Guana before leaving

Mooring tip

Marsh Harbour has plenty of room to anchor in good mud holding, or take a slip at Harbour View or Conch Inn for shore power and easy provisioning access. Book a slip ahead in high season, as the marinas near the supermarkets fill first.

7
Day 7

Marsh Harbour → Hope Town

Same short passage as day one, roughly six miles, but a different plan once you arrive. Rather than settling straight into the harbour, carry on to the south tip of Elbow Cay and anchor off Tahiti Beach. At low tide a broad sandbar dries out, shallow and warm, good for wading and a beer off the swim step. There's a decent snorkel spot over the grass beds nearby where turtles graze. Later, run back up to the Hope Town mooring field for the night. If you skipped the lighthouse climb last week, do it now near golden hour when the light goes soft over the roofs. Vernon's Grocery in town sells a key lime pie worth the walk.

Things to do

Anchor off the Tahiti Beach sandbar

Snorkel the turtle grass beds

Key lime pie at Vernon's Grocery

Climb Elbow Reef Lighthouse at golden hour

Mooring tip

Tahiti Beach is an anchorage, not a mooring field, so drop in sand clear of the grass and mind the falling tide over the bar. For the night, return to a Hope Town mooring ball rather than lying off the exposed south end.

8
Day 8

Hope Town → Man-O-War Cay

A repeat call, but Man-O-War rewards a second, unhurried visit. With the boatbuilding history already familiar, give this day to the water instead. The ocean beach beyond the settlement is usually deserted, a curve of pale sand with reef close enough to snorkel from shore. Back in the village, Joe's Studio sells half-models and local craft, and Albury's Sail Shop is worth a proper browse rather than a quick look. Remember the dry-island rule still applies, so anything you drink comes from your own lockers. The harbour holds you snug whatever the wind does overnight, which is part of why crews keep coming back. Cook aboard and get your head down at a sensible hour, since tomorrow's leg up the chain runs longer than most.

Things to do

Snorkel the reef off the ocean beach

Browse half-models at Joe's Studio

Buy a canvas bag at Albury's

Walk the full settlement footpath

Mooring tip

The same cheap Man-O-War Marina moorings apply, and the eastern harbour is the more protected of the two in a fresh easterly. If both harbours are full, there's fair anchoring off Dickie's Cay just outside.

9
Day 9

Man-O-War Cay → Great Guana Cay

The eight-to-ten mile leg up to Guana is familiar ground by now, which makes it a relaxed sailing day. Set the sails, let the autopilot do the work, and enjoy the last long reach of open sound water. If it isn't a Sunday, Nipper's and Grabbers run calm and friendly, the kind of afternoon where you nurse one drink and watch the reef change colour. This is the run to top up the tan and swim off the boat. Grabbers does a solid conch and a burger if you'd rather not cook. Anchor early in Fishers Bay so you catch the light on the water, and leave the ocean beach walk for a quiet dawn tomorrow before the wind gets up.

Things to do

Conch and a burger at Grabbers

Swim and snorkel off Fishers Bay

Sundowner as the reef colours change

Dawn walk on the ocean beach

Mooring tip

Fishers Bay off Grabbers is the easy overnight, two to five metres over sand with good holding and calmer than the ocean side. Set the anchor with a decent scope, since the afternoon sea breeze can swing you before it dies at dusk.

10
Day 10

Great Guana Cay → Green Turtle Cay

The Whale again, and by now you know the drill: check the swell the night before, go at dawn, treat a north wind as a stop sign. With one crossing behind you the passage feels routine in the right weather, though it never deserves complacency. On the far side, pick Black Sound this time for the night. It's the quieter of Green Turtle's two anchorages, ringed by mangrove and calm as a pond, with Donny's boat rentals and a couple of small docks nearby. Dinghy across to New Plymouth for a proper evening ashore rather than a rushed hour. With a full day and night here you can actually see the place, walk to Gillam Bay for sea glass, and eat well without watching the clock.

Things to do

Beachcomb sea glass at Gillam Bay

Dinner ashore in New Plymouth

Anchor in mangrove-ringed Black Sound

Another Goombay Smash at Miss Emily's

Mooring tip

Black Sound is soft mud, so dig the anchor in and back down hard before you trust it overnight. The entrance carries limited depth, so favour higher tide going in, and watch for the moorings and small craft that crowd the inner basin.

11
Day 11

Green Turtle Cay → Man-O-War Cay

Today covers more ground, so it's an early start whether or not the Whale is calm. You round the passage southbound at first light, then carry on down the sound past Great Guana without stopping, roughly fifteen to eighteen miles all told. It's the closest thing this trip has to a proper sailing day, and in a steady easterly it's a fine one. Raise Man-O-War by mid-afternoon while you can still read the water, because that narrow harbour is no place to feel your way in at dusk. Once the lines are on, the reward is that same well-protected basin and a quiet evening among the boat sheds. If the crew has energy left, the ocean beach is a short walk for a last swim before the sun drops.

Things to do

Early Whale crossing at first light

Long open reach down the sound

Last ocean-beach swim on Man-O-War

Quiet evening among the boat sheds

Mooring tip

This is a day to leave early and bank the miles before the Whale or the wind turns awkward. Reaching Man-O-War with light to spare means an easy entrance, so line up your mooring approach before you commit to the narrow channel.

12
Day 12

Man-O-War Cay → Hope Town

After yesterday's mileage, ease off. Man-O-War to Hope Town is only four or five miles, an hour of easy sailing, so there's no need to hurry the lines. Time the harbour entrance for the back half of a rising tide and pick up a mooring in the field below the lighthouse. This is your last proper night out, so make it count ashore. Wander the narrow lanes between the pastel cottages, buy a slice of key lime pie, and settle in for sundowners on the water at Wine Down Sip Sip or On Da Beach. The lighthouse throws its beam over the harbour after dark, hand-wound and kerosene-lit as it has been for over a century. It's a fitting place to spend the final evening.

Things to do

Final sundowners at Wine Down Sip Sip

Watch the lighthouse beam after dark

Wander Hope Town's pastel back lanes

One more slice of key lime pie

Mooring tip

Grab a Hope Town mooring ball early on your last night, as the field is popular and fills by mid-afternoon in season. Time the shallow entrance for a rising tide, and don't count on anchoring inside, since the harbour is moorings only.

13
Day 13

Hope Town → Marsh Harbour

An unhurried final passage, six miles or so back across to Marsh Harbour. Leave Hope Town after a slow breakfast and, if the wind allows, detour to Mermaid Reef just off Marsh Harbour's shore for a farewell snorkel over the coral heads and their resident fish. Back at base, it's the practical end of the cruise. Offload rubbish, start on the packing, and settle any fuel and mooring bills while the office is open. Most charter boats want to be back the evening before disembarkation, so this is the night to sleep at the dock rather than at anchor. Book a table at one of the harbourfront spots for a last crew dinner ashore, and toast two weeks that never once felt rushed.

Things to do

Farewell snorkel at Mermaid Reef

Settle fuel and mooring bills

Last crew dinner on the harbourfront

Pack down and tidy the boat

Mooring tip

Return to your charter marina the evening before checkout, since most Abaco bases want the boat back the night prior rather than the morning of. Take a slip if one's booked; otherwise the harbour anchorage holds well in mud a short dinghy ride from the docks.

14
Day 14

Marsh Harbour → Marsh Harbour

The last morning is short and mostly logistics. Charter checkout in the Abacos usually runs early, so have bags packed and the boat squared away before the base crew comes aboard to inspect. There's time for a coffee in the cockpit and a final look across the harbour before you hand back the keys. If your flight from Marsh Harbour airport leaves later in the day, the walk into town or a quiet hour by the water fills the gap easily. Two weeks of short hops and long lunches tend to leave crews unusually relaxed, which is the whole point of taking the slow version of this loop rather than racing it in one. Safe travels, and mind the step onto the dock.

Things to do

Final checkout with the base crew

Coffee in the cockpit at dawn

One last look across Marsh Harbour

Transfer to Marsh Harbour airport

Mooring tip

Nothing to moor today, just the handover. Have the boat cleared and fenders sorted before the check-out crew arrives, and settle any final charges at the base office before you head for the airport.

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